protective effects of omega 3 in the prevention of preterm labor

protective effects of omega 3 in the prevention of preterm labor

background: preterm labor and birth is widely associated with a great number of parental, fetal and neonatal morbidities and mortality. women with preterm labor are seen to be presented with the elevation in the inflammatory response. objective: the aim of this study is to investigate the protective role of omega 3 supplementation against preterm labor in high and low risk women.

methods: 120 women in the third trimester of pregnancy with major and minor preterm labor risks were included in the study. patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. intervention group received 200mg of omega 3 capsules whereas, soft jelly capsule was given to the placebo group. the data was recorded and statistical analysis via spssv22 was performed to compare the outcomes among the two groups.

results: of 60 patients in the intervention group, 5% underwent preterm labor whereas, 16.7% patients in the placebo group had preterm labor. the difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant p=0.02. previous history of preterm birth and antenatal visits were significantly associated with preterm labor. however, there was no meaningful relation between the age, parity, educational level and occupation with preterm labor (p˃0.05).conclusions: our findings suggest that omega-3 supplementation can significantly reduce the risk of preterm labor.